Ice breaking and sizing machine



Sept. 29, 1942- w. w. BATEMAN ETAL ICE BREAKING AND SIZING MACHINE FiledSept. 18, 1941 FIG.1.

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I INVENTORS WILLIAM W. BATEMAN BY LEROY B. BARBER Patented Sept. 29,1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,297,604 ICE BREAKING AND srzmeMACHINE William w. Bateman', Mineral Wells, Ten, and

Leroy B. Barber, St."Louis, Mo.

Application September I8, 1941, Serial No. 411,332

1 Claim.

This invention relates to ice breaking and sizing machines, and has forits principal object to provide means for reducing blocks of ice toAnother advantage of our invention is the asso-- ciation with it ofreduction gear in such a manner as to reduce the speed of the pick drumfrom the usual approximately 300 R. P. M. to about 110 or 115 R. P. M.,since the lower the speed of the drum, the more effective it is inbreaking off chunks from the block of ice and reducingthem withoutshattering the ice and forming snow ice, or pulverized ice.

Fig. l is a front, elevational view of our machine.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section taken on line 22, Fig. 1,illustrating particularly the pickdrum and rocking grate.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section taken on line 3-3, Fig. 1,illustrating the reduction gear.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 4--4, Fig. 2, illustratingthe association of the pick-drum with the rocking grate.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective of the adjustable rocking grate.

The invention comprises a bottomless, inclined chute l which rests upona supporting framework 2. A cylindrical drum 3, provided with a hollowcore 3' and spokes 3 radiating therefrom, is mounted on a rotatableshaft 4 supported by the side walls of the chute i. On its periphery thedrum 3 is provided with a plurality of relatively large ice picks 5 anda much greater number of smaller ice picks 6. It is to be understoodthat the number of both the large and small ice picks may vary, but wehave found that the best results are obtained with three of the largepicks and twenty-one of the small picks. The picks are sharp-pointed andmay be secured to the drum in any preferred manner. All of the picks 5and 6 are arranged in diagonal and staggered relationship on theperiphery of the drum, and wherever a large pick 5 occurs it occupies aposition in the orderly arrangement which would ordinarily be taken by apick if all the picks were of one size. The rear wall of the chute i hasoutwardly curved, grooved sections 1 positioned in the path of the largepicks to accommodate these picks when the drum 3 is bein rotated (Figs.2 and 3).

The drum 3 is driven by a motor M (though other driving means may beused if desired), preferably located to the right of the chute, and inorder to reduce the speed of rotation of said drum, reduction gear isprovided between the motor and the chute for engagement therewith. Thereduction gear includes a gear wheel 8, mounted on the motor drive shaft9 and meshin with an idler gear l0, and a second idler gear wheel llrotatable with the gear l0 and meshing with a gear wheel I2 mounted onthe drum shaft 4, the entire train of gearing being enclosed within ahousing H (see Fig. 3).

Within the lower portion of the chute l and between the front wall ofsaid chute and the pick drum 3 we place a rocking grate, having deepslots I3 and shallow slots I so positioned that when the drum 3 isrotated the large picks 5 will register with the slots l3 and the smallpicks 6 with the slots l4, members l5 and It being provided to separatethe slots from each other. The entire rocking grate is rigidly securedto a shaft l1 pivotally mounted in the sidewalls of the chute l (Figs. 4and 5).

The rotatable shaft I'I projects outwardly a short distance through anaperture in the lefthand side wall of the chute I, and a forwardlyextending adjusting handle I8 is rigidly secured to the outwardlyprojecting portion of said shaft l1. Thus it will be seen thatmanipulation of the handle l8 swings the rocking grate in an arc of acircle to increase or diminish the distance between the grate and thepick drum. The handle It has at its forward end a member l9 angularlydisposed thereto, and said end member l9 has a threaded aperture throughwhich a locking screw 20 is passed. The left-hand wall of the chute Ihas a forwardly curved extension 2| positioned directly behind andslightly spaced apart from the end member l8, the purpose of which willbe later explained.

When the invention is put into service, the rocking grate is adjustedaccording to the size of the pieces into which it is desired to break upthe ice. This is done by manipulating the adjusting handle 18, aspreviously explained, and since the distance between the pick drum andthe members l5 and iii of the grate is greatest when the rocking grateis turned to its lowermost position, it will be'understood that thesmaller IQ of the adjusting handle the pieces of ice desired the higherthe rocking grate must be. positioned to allow only pieces of thedesired size to fall through into a receptacle below (not shown). Whenthe grate has been turned to the required 20 is turned until it comesinto firm gripping engagement with the periphery of the curved section2| of the side wall of the chute I and thus keeps the handle l8 fromfurther movement, and to guard against accidental slippage of saidhandle the periphery of said curved section 2| is knurled, as shown at22 in Fig. 2.

When the grate has been adjusted as described, the motor M is startedand a block of ice B is lowered into the chute I (Fig. 2). The angle ofinclination of said chute is such as to prevent the ice from sliding toorapidly and consequent-1y being projected with too great force onto thepick drum 3. As the motor driven pick drum rotates, the large picks 5act to break off chunks from the block B, and as these chunks fall uponthe grate structure they are further operated upon by the large icepicks 5 and also by the smaller ice picks 6. This action is continuous,and when the broken off pieces have been sufllciently reduced in size bythe picks they will fall through the space between the drum 3 and thegrate structure. t will be readily seen from the above description thatall of the pieces of ice falling into the receptacle below will be ofapproximately the same size. As the pick drum rotates, the large pickspass through the registering slots I3 and the small picks 6 through theslots ll of the grate structure, and the large picks also pass throughthe grooved sections 1 in the rear wall of the chute I.

By virtue of the train of reduction gearing in the housing H the speedof the pick drum is reduced, and this, as mentioned before, preventsshattering of the ice as it is being broken from the ice block and whileit is being sized by the picks 5 and 6.

position, the locking screw 5 The use of three large picks 5 andtwenty-one smaller picks 6 has been foundmost satisfactory, as thisallows the breaking oil of chunks from the block B at a rate whichpermits suflicient time for the pieces to be sized and fall through intothe receptacle below'without clogging the machine, but, as said before,any number of picks may be used that is preferred.

We claim:

An ice breaking and sizing machine comprising an ice-receiving chamber,a rotatable drum having on its periphery a small number of large picksand for breaking chunks from said ice and for reducing said chunks tosmaller pieces, said picks being arranged on said drum in diagonal,staggered relation, a rocking grate pivotally supported between the sidewalls of said ice-receiving chamber and adapted to be swung in an arc ofa circle for adjustment with relation to said rotatable drum forpermitting said smaller pieces to emerge from said machine only whensaid been reduced to a predetermined size, said rocking grate havingslots of various when the drum is being rotated and the rear wall ofsaid ice-receiving chamber b'eing provided with grooves through whichthe large picks pass, a handle secured to the shaft of said rockinggrate adjacent a side wall of said ice-receiving chamber and having anangular, apertured end member through which a locking screw is passed,said side wall having a forwardly extended section with a knurledperiphery adapted to contact said locking screw in gripping engagementto hold said rocking grate in its adjusted position, and reductiongearing associated with a source of power and with said rotatable drumfor reducing the speed of rotation of said drum.

WILLIAM W. BA'I'EMAN". LEROY B. BARBER.

a much greater number of small picks-

